Rawdon, Saint-Donat and Matawinie Real Estate Market: Q3 2026

In the third quarter of 2026, Centris puts the median price of a single-family home at $404,450 in Rawdon and $612,500 in Saint-Donat. They are the only two municipalities in the MRC de Matawinie (regional county municipality) where the quarter’s sales are enough for that figure to be published; the Lanaudière median, $518,250, falls between the two. Centris counts 278 residential sales in the MRC’s 15 municipalities from July to September. Here is what these data show, and the local by-laws to know before buying or selling a cottage.

The Rawdon and Matawinie real estate market by the numbers

The MRC groups 15 municipalities, according to its own list. Rawdon, the most populous, had 11,719 residents in the 2021 census. The ranking follows sales over the last four quarters.

All categories.

Source: Centris real estate statistics for Rawdon, Chertsey, Saint-Donat (Lanaudière), Saint-Côme, Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, Saint-Félix-de-Valois, Saint-Damien, Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci, Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Sainte-Béatrix, Entrelacs, Sainte-Émélie-de-l’Énergie, Saint-Zénon, Sainte-Marcelline-de-Kildare and Lanaudière, third quarter of 2026, meaning July to September.

Changes are compared with the same quarter of 2025; where no percentage appears, Centris does not publish the change. Below, “n.p.” replaces its two asterisks: “Insufficient number of transactions to produce reliable statistics.”

Single-family homes.

Source: the same Centris pages, third quarter of 2026, meaning July to September. Days: average days on market.

Condos and plexes. Seven condos and eight plexes sold during the quarter, including five plexes in Rawdon: Centris publishes no price for these categories in the MRC, even over four quarters.

The Rawdon market compared with Saint-Donat and the Laurentians

Two markets in one MRC. For the quarter, $208,050 separates the Saint-Donat median from Rawdon’s. In Saint-Donat, a single-family home sold stayed on the market 62 days on average, against 38 in Rawdon and 43 in Lanaudière. Over four quarters, Saint-Donat ($545,875) is the only municipality in the MRC above the Lanaudière median ($519,312). These medians do not compare similar houses: the lot, lake access, age and size can differ.

Cheaper than the Laurentians? Not everywhere. Over four quarters, every median published in the Matawinie is below that of the Laurentides region, $567,487. For the quarter, Rawdon ($404,450) stays below Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard ($432,500) and Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts ($459,000). Saint-Donat ($612,500), on the other hand, is above Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and the Laurentides median ($573,750), but stays below Mont-Tremblant ($645,000) and Saint-Sauveur ($725,000).

Source: Centris real estate statistics for the Laurentides, Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Mont-Tremblant and Saint-Sauveur, third quarter of 2026, meaning July to September.

No APCIQ reading. Its provincial barometer for the third quarter of 2026 has no page for the Matawinie: nothing in it says whether this market favours sellers or buyers.

What changed in a year

Fewer sales almost everywhere. Over four quarters, sales fell in 12 of the 14 municipalities where Centris publishes the change: -17% in Rawdon, -15% in Chertsey, -7% in Saint-Donat. They rose in Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci (+40%) and Saint-Michel-des-Saints (+17%).

Supply grows in Rawdon and shrinks in four municipalities. In the third quarter, Rawdon had 123 new listings (+41%) and 116 active listings (+31%), with sales down 3%. Active listings fell in Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci (-18%), Chertsey (-13%), Saint-Michel-des-Saints (-5%) and Saint-Donat (-4%).

Medians are rising, but read them with caution. Over four quarters, the single-family median rose in 12 municipalities, held steady in Sainte-Béatrix and fell in Saint-Donat (-5%). A change in the median price is not the change in value of a given house: the mix of sales shifts from one quarter to the next, and Saint-Damien’s 26% rests on 66 sales in a year.

A fast-growing population. According to the provisional estimate of the Institut de la statistique du Québec, the MRC had 60,977 residents as of July 1, 2025, and its growth of 26.3 per thousand in 2024-2025 is the strongest of Lanaudière’s six MRCs (7.0 for Quebec as a whole). That figure describes the population, not prices.

Short-term rentals: five municipal by-laws

The Loi sur l’hébergement touristique (Quebec’s Tourist Accommodation Act) covers any unit, cottages included, offered for rent to tourists, for payment, for 31 days or less, and makes operating it subject to registration (sections 2 and 4): see the short-term rental rules in Quebec. In the Matawinie, zoning decides first: none of the five municipalities checked allows a résidence de tourisme (tourist residence) everywhere.

Sources: municipal documents from Rawdon, Chertsey, Saint-Côme, Saint-Michel-des-Saints and Saint-Donat (permits page and zoning by-law), read on October 21, 2026.

Rawdon puts numbers on the process. The conditional use review costs $775, then the certificate of authorization $1,250, to be renewed every year. Add an engineer’s report on the septic system, pumping at least every two years, and the CITQ attestation within 6 months of the council resolution. Outside the urbanization perimeter, except in zone REC-11, the building must be 300 m from any legally operated short-term rental; on a lot fronting Lac Pontbriand or Lac Rawdon, it must be 50 m from any other residential building.

Chertsey: an acquired right that follows the property. Tourist residences operated as of July 7, 2022 with CITQ authorization are exempt from the conditional use process. According to the Municipality, this droit acquis (acquired right) is tied to the lot, not to the owner: it passes to the buyer, who files their own application with the CITQ, but it is lost after 12 months without operation.

Saint-Donat: the 2024 by-laws withdrawn. Three by-laws on tourist residences, adopted on October 21, 2024, reached the number of signatures that required a referendum; council abandoned them on December 10, 2024. Where zoning allows it, a $50 certificate and a code of conduct for tenants are required.

Before signing a promesse d’achat (promise to purchase) on a cottage you plan to rent out, get the zone of the address and the permitted use in writing. No authorization guarantees an income.

Assessment roll and welcome tax in Rawdon and Saint-Donat

Rawdon: a 2022 roll, and a new one for 2027. The 2024-2025-2026 roll reflects the market as of July 1, 2022, and the 2026 comparative factor is 1.19. The MRC has tabled a 2027-2028-2029 roll for Rawdon, Saint-Félix-de-Valois, Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Saint-Damien and the unorganized territory, without publishing a change; under section 46 of the Loi sur la fiscalité municipale (Act respecting municipal taxation), it reflects the market as of July 1, 2025.

Saint-Donat: a new roll since January. The 2026-2027-2028 roll is based on the market in summer 2024. The Municipality announces increases of about 15% to 60% depending on the sector, without an average, and has lowered its residential rate from $0.4685 to $0.3326 per $100 of assessment. A change in the roll compares two reference dates, not this summer’s market.

Transfer duties above $500,000. Rawdon applies 3% on the portion above $500,000 (By-law 127-2019). Saint-Donat works in tiers: 2% up to $750,000, 2.5% up to $1,000,000, then 3% (By-law 21-1082). On a $600,000 base, the duties come to $8,610.50 in Rawdon and $7,610.50 in Saint-Donat, against $7,110.50 if the top bracket stayed at 1.5%.

The base is the higher of the price and the roll value multiplied by the comparative factor: in Rawdon, a house entered on the roll at $450,000 has a standardized value of $535,500 in 2026. Below $500,000, the welcome tax calculator, with the “Other Quebec municipality” option, gives the right amount; above that, it applies 1.5% and underestimates the duties in both municipalities. Your notary confirms the amount.

Selling or buying in the Matawinie

For a seller. In Rawdon, active supply grew 31% in a year: buyers have more properties to compare. Over four quarters, a single-family home sold stayed on the market 98 to 103 days on average in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Saint-Côme and Saint-Zénon. With so few sales, your price is built on dated comparable sales: see auditing your neighbour’s comparables. In Saint-Donat, also have the latest septic inspection attestation ready. For a rented cottage, gather the municipal authorization and the establishment’s registration certificate.

For a buyer. Choice has grown in Rawdon and shrunk in Chertsey and Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci. The shoreline, septic tank, well and road are checked as for any cottage: see the checks before buying a cottage. In Saint-Donat, By-law 07-749 requires an inspection of the septic system on the tank’s 20th anniversary, then every 4 years, or every 8 years for a concrete or polyethylene tank: ask for the latest attestation. Every motorized or electric boat owned by a local taxpayer there also needs a lake access permit; a non-taxpayer must obtain a special permit and a washing certificate (By-law 10-803). The provincial registration of a rented cottage cannot be transferred (section 7 of the Loi sur l’hébergement touristique): the buyer files their own application.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Centris show no price for Sainte-Marcelline-de-Kildare? Seven sales in the quarter and 28 over four quarters: too few for a reliable statistic according to Centris, even combined. Only comparable sales in your area then give a benchmark; do not rebuild a median from neighbouring municipalities.

Can I rent out my cottage by the week in Rawdon or Saint-Côme? Only in an eligible zone, after council approval, then with provincial registration. Beyond 31 days, you are outside the law’s definition; Chertsey then requires no municipal authorization, but elsewhere, ask the question before signing.

Will my municipal assessment in Rawdon be revised? Yes. According to the MRC, the 2027-2028-2029 roll revises the value of properties in Rawdon, and meetings with residents are planned for spring 2027. A request for review must be filed before the May 1 following the roll’s coming into force, with $90 for an assessment of $500,000 or less.

To go further, read the Lanaudière real estate market, sector by sector, how the welcome tax is calculated in Quebec and how to contest a municipal assessment.

Thinking of selling or buying in Rawdon, Saint-Donat or elsewhere in the Matawinie? Write to me. We start from the comparable sales in your municipality and the by-law for your zone, with service in French, English or Arabic.

Georges Matar

Residential Real Estate Broker · RE/MAX DU CARTIER INC.

Contact Georges